# 2008 United States Senate election in Georgia

Elections in Georgia :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1788–89
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1789
1792
1793
1794
1795
1798
1799
1800
1804
1806
1813
1816
1818
1819
1823
1824
1825
1828
1834
1837
1840
1843
1846
1847
1852
1858
1867
1871
1873
1877
1879
1883
1885
1888
1891
1894
1896
1900
1902
1909
1913
1914
1918
1920
1924
1926
1930
1932
1936
1938
1942
1944
1948
1950
1954
1956
1960
1962
1966
1968
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
2028
U.S. House elections
1789
1791
1792
1794
1796
1798
1800
1802
1804
1806
1808
1810
1812
1814
1816
1818
1820
1822
1824
1826
1828
1830
1832
1834
1836
1838
1840
1842
1844
1846
1848
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
6
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
4
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Special elections
Senate
1796
1806
1807
1809
1813
1816
1818
1819
1821
1824
1828
1829
1833
1835
1837
1845
1880
1882
1894
1907
1911
1914
1922
1932
1972
2000
2020
House
At-large
1801
1802
1803
1806
1812
1813
1816
1819
1824
1829
1831
1835
1836
1837
1841
1843
1844
1st
1792
1827
1879
1906
1931
2nd
1827
1910
1913
1953
3rd
1846
1896
1932
4th
1871
1872
1918
1939
5th
1870
1929
1946
1977
2020
6th
1870
1932
1999
2017
7th
1958
1983
8th
1873
1882
1917
1940
9th
1875
1877
2010
10th
1895
1933
2007 :
State government
State elections
2000
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1825
1827
1829
1831
1833
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1868
1871 (sp)
1872
1876
1880
1882
1883 (sp)
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1946
1948
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
1990
1994
1998
2002
2018
2022
Secretary of State elections
2018
2022
Attorney General elections
2014
2018
2022
State Senate elections
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Judicial elections
2024
Special elections
Governor
1871
1883
1948 :
Ballot measures
2004
Flag referendum
Amendment 1
2020
Amendment 1
Amendment 2
Tax referendum :
Atlanta
City elections
2009
Mayoral elections
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Savannah
Mayoral elections
2015
2019
2023 :
Mableton
Mayoral elections
2023 :
vte :
The 2008 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 4, 2008. The runoff election took place on December 2, 2008. Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, first elected in 2002, sought re-election to his position as a United States Senator from Georgia. He was challenged by Democratic nominee Jim Martin and Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley. After a runoff election on December 2, Chambliss was elected.
The runoff was necessary as neither Chambliss nor Martin, the two major party candidates, had won a majority of the vote in the first round. Early voting hours were set by county, and started November 17 or November 18. Prior to the runoff, advanced polls were open from November 24 to the 26th. Since the election was a runoff, only those voters who registered in time for the general election could cast ballots. It was the second Senate runoff election to be held in Georgia since runoffs were first mandated in 1964, following a runoff in 1992.
As of 2025, this remains the only time in history that a Republican has won re-election to Georgia's Class 2 Senate seat.

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Saxby Chambliss, incumbent U.S. Senator

### Results

2008 Georgia U.S. Senate Republican primary election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Saxby Chambliss (incumbent) | 392,902 | 100.0% | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 392,928 | 100.0% | |

## Democratic primary

The general primary was held July 15, 2008. A run-off between the top two Democratic contenders was held on August 5, in which Jim Martin defeated Vernon Jones.

### Candidates

* Jim Martin, former State Representative and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2006
* Vernon Jones, businessman, DeKalb County chief executive officer and former State Representative
* Dale Cardwell, TV journalist
* Rand Knight, businessman
* Josh Lanier, Vietnam War veteran and former aide to U.S. Senator Herman Talmadge

### Polling

| Source | Date | Cardwell | Jones | Knight | Lanier | Martin |
| Strategic Vision (R) | May 9–11, 2008 | 20% | 28% | 11% | 5% | 15% |
| Insider Advantage | May 12, 2008 | 14% | 21% | 1% | 5% | 3% |
| Mellman Group (D) | May 29, 2008 | 7% | 16% | 2% | 3% | 21% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | June 27–29, 2008 | 22% | 25% | 14% | 6% | 17% |
| Insider Advantage | July 8–9, 2008 | 11% | 20% | 4% | 1% | 31% |

### Initial results

Results for the first round showed that since Vernon Jones did not win a majority of the vote, a runoff was held between him and Martin. Martin subsequently won the runoff.
2008 Georgia U.S. Senate Democratic primary election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Vernon Jones | 199,026 | 40.4% |
| | Democratic | Jim Martin | 169,635 | 34.4% |
| | Democratic | Dale Cardwell | 79,181 | 16.1% |
| | Democratic | Rand Knight | 25,667 | 5.2% |
| | Democratic | Josh Lanier | 19,717 | 4.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 493,226 | 100.0% |

### Run off results

2008 Georgia U.S. Senate Democratic primary election runoff :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Jim Martin | 191,061 | 59.9% | +25.5% |
| | Democratic | Vernon Jones | 127,993 | 40.1% | −0.3% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 319,054 | 100.0% | |

## General election
### Candidates
#### Democratic

Jim Martin, a former State Representative, former State Human Resources Commissioner, Vietnam War veteran, and 2006 nominee for lieutenant governor, challenged Chambliss for his seat. He made his support for PeachCare and other social services a signature issue in the campaign.

#### Libertarian

Allen Buckley - Attorney, accountant, 2004 Senate nominee, and 2006 nominee for lieutenant governor. He was eliminated in the general election, but his endorsement was sought by both the Martin and Chambliss campaigns.

#### Republican

Sen. Saxby Chambliss running for re-election for the first time, is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and had only one serious election challenge while in the House. He maintained high ratings from conservative interest groups such as the National Rifle Association of America, and the National Right to Life Committee, and correspondingly low marks from liberal interest groups such as the NAACP and ACLU. He sponsored legislation while in the Senate to replace the income tax with a national sales tax.

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Tossup | October 23, 2008 |
| CQ Politics | Tossup | October 31, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report | Lean R | November 2, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics | Tossup | November 2, 2008 |

### Polling
#### Chambliss vs. Martin

| Source | Date | Chambliss (R) | Martin (D) |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 26, 2008 | 52% | 39% |
| Strategic Vision | June 29, 2008 | 57% | 28% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 21, 2008 | 51% | 40% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 14, 2008 | 50% | 44% |
| Survey USA | September 14–16, 2008 | 53% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 16, 2008 | 50% | 43% |
| Survey USA | September 29, 2008 | 46% | 44% |
| Research 2000 | September 29 – October 1, 2008 | 45% | 44% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 7, 2008 | 50% | 44% |
| Insider Advantage | October 9, 2008 | 45% | 45% |
| Survey USA | October 12, 2008 | 46% | 43% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 22, 2008 | 47% | 45% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 30, 2008 | 48% | 43% |
| Survey USA | November 2, 2008 | 48% | 44% |
| Public Policy Polling | November 2, 2008 | 48% | 46% |

#### Chambliss vs. Jones (Hypothetical)

| Source | Date | Chambliss (R) | Jones (D) |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 21, 2008 | 59% | 29% |
| Strategic Vision | June 29, 2008 | 57% | 27% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 26, 2008 | 57% | 30% |
| Strategic Vision | December 12, 2007 | 57% | 27% |
| Rasmussen Report | November 13, 2007 | 55% | 32% |
| Rasmussen Report | September 23, 2007 | 53% | 28% |
| Strategic Vision | June 24, 2007 | 55% | 31% |
| Rasmussen Report | September 23, 2007 | 53% | 28% |
| Strategic Vision | June 24, 2007 | 55% | 31% |
| Insider Advantage | May 23, 2007 | 48% | 31% |
| Strategic Vision | April 7, 2007 | 57% | 29% |

### Results

As no candidate reached a majority on November 4, a runoff election was held on December 2, which Chambliss won.
2008 United States Senate general election in Georgia :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Saxby Chambliss (Incumbent) | 1,867,097 | 49.76% | −3.01% |
| | Democratic | Jim Martin | 1,757,393 | 46.83% | +0.93% |
| | Libertarian | Allen Buckley | 127,923 | 3.41% | +2.08% |
| | Socialist Workers | Eleanor Garcia (write-in) | 43 | 0.00% | n/a |
| | Independent | William Salomone, Jr. (write-in) | 29 | 0.00% | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 109,704 | 2.93% | −3.95% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,752,577 | | |

## Runoff election
### Candidates

* Chambliss (R)
* Martin (D)

### Campaign

* Republican Senator from Georgia wins run-off election
Both qualifying candidates' runoff campaigns began in earnest on November 10, when election returns made it clear that a runoff would be required. With an election date of December 2, candidates were given only 3 weeks for additional campaigning.
The Libertarian nominee did not endorse either candidate in the run-off, though both campaigns reportedly inquired about getting Buckley's endorsement. Major political figures such as former President Bill Clinton, Republican Senator and 2008 presidential nominee John McCain and his former running mate Sarah Palin campaigned in Georgia, because of the election's potential to determine whether the Democratic Party could block filibusters in the United States Senate. Historically, run-off elections in Georgia have had significantly lower turnout than have general elections.
Chambliss's campaign verified that former Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Mike Huckabee would be campaigning in Georgia on the Senator's behalf, and former Democratic Governor and former U.S. Senator Zell Miller endorsed Chambliss. Former President Bill Clinton campaigned on Martin's behalf. Sarah Palin campaigned for the Chambliss campaign on December 1, the eve of the run-off election. President-elect Barack Obama had also been invited by the Democratic campaign but decided against making a stop.
The results of the runoff election were of particular interest to both parties. Subsequent to the November 4 general elections, Democrats had captured 58 seats in the Senate, two shy of a filibuster-proof supermajority. The result of Georgia's runoff election, as well as the results of an extremely close race and recount in Minnesota, would determine whether or not the required majority of 60 seats would be met. Although the Democratic nominee lost the runoff, the party would still obtain a supermajority after Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter switched from the Republican party to the Democratic party in April 2009 and Democrat Al Franken won in Minnesota after several recounts in June 2009.

### Polling

| Source | Date | Chambliss (R) | Martin (D) |
| Rasmussen Reports | November 18, 2008 | 50% | 46% |
| Public Policy Polling | November 23, 2008 | 52% | 46% |
| Public Policy Polling | November 30, 2008 | 53% | 46% |

### Results

Douglas, Rockdale, Newton, McIntosh, Merriwether, Chattahoochee, Webster, and Marion counties were won by Chambliss in the runoff, after he lost them in the general. Additionally, Mitchell County went from tied to Chambliss, and Early County switched from Chambliss to Martin.
Runoff results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Saxby Chambliss (Incumbent) | 1,228,033 | 57.44% | N/A |
| | Democratic | Jim Martin | 909,923 | 42.56% | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 318,110 | 14.88% | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,137,956 | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | | |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Ben Hill (Largest city: Fitzgerald)
* Brooks (Largest city: Quitman)
* Decatur (Largest city: Bainbridge)
* Elbert (Largest city: Elberton)
* Grady (Largest city: Cairo)
* Marion (Largest city: Buena Vista)
* Seminole (Largest city: Donalsonville)
* Taylor (Largest city: Butler)
* Chattahoochee (largest municipality: Cusseta)
* McIntosh (largest municipality: Darien)
* Meriwether (largest municipality: Manchester)
* Mitchell (largest municipality: Camilla)
* Hart (Largest city: Hartwell)
* Long (Largest city: Ludowici)
* Wilkes (Largest city: Washington)
* Webster (largest town: Preston)